THE CRANKY OLD MAN
Random thoughts and stuff from a cranky old man. Humor (maybe)and satire, mostly stuff from a confused head.
I intend for this blog to be non-political. If I offer a political statement, rebuttals are permitted, however this blog is not for the unsolicited political opinions of others and as such those comments will be deleted and not published.
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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

BEGGING FOR DOLLARS!

BEGGING FOR DOLLARS!

This time of
year it seems to be a popular time to beg for dollars.It is especially apparent if you watch TV
after midnight.I watch a lot of TV
after midnight.I do this because I
can.

Every
charity, and I am sure some of them are legit and worthwhile, wants me to send
fifty cents a day, or “Just the price of a newspaper” and I can:

Save a child
from starving to death.

Save a dog
from being beaten to death.

Give a needy
child plastic surgery.

Save a
whale.

Stop the
planet from getting hotter.

Save the
rain forest.

Stop the
slaughter of seals.

Feed an old
person.

Take a
homeless person off the street.

Put a child
through college.

All of these
TV ads for charity are narrated by a famous actor with an immensely sad voice
as pictures of suffering people and animals cross my screen.

“For just pennies a day, the cost of
a newspaper, you could give a child three meals a day, a home out of the
weather, books for school and a pair of shoes.Don’t you want to feed a child?”

Are all of
these charities real?Lots of charities
spend 95 cents on the dollar for “administration costs.”

Thank you
for putting that enormous amount of guilt on me late at night when I am trying
to go to sleep.Thank you filthy rich
actress who probably claims her time making this commercial as a tax deduction,
thank you for making me feel like shit.I would like to help all these causes, but I do give to other
stuff.I give to charities I know and
that are established and that use the money for the cause they say it is
used.I don’t need your guilt trip.

I can understand your healthy skepticism. Many of these send cents on the dollar on to the charity they represent. But like you point out, there are lots of charities right in your back yard that do the same...take care of abandoned animals, feed and clothe people, etc. Those are the ones I like to support.

On a larger scale, I do like Kiva. They make loans to the poor worldwide, then when the loans are paid back, you can loan it again.

Honestly, I have more than I need, and like they say, you can't take it with you, right?

Giving to charity should not be painful. Plus when I see famous (and fading) actors and politicians urging me to buy insurance or reverse mortgages I just get mad. Guess I'm a cranky old man today, too.

I give to the church, which has a generous charitable giving policy, to the Salvation Army, to the RAF Benevolent Fund and to Help the Heros. That's it. I think the work done by these organizations covers all the 'come ons' you can't be sure of on TV and elsewhere.

I'm with you on this one Cranky. I give only to those who use the money as it is intended to be used, not for lining their own pockets.

One way to feel out a charity is to give them something off their wish list or something you know they can use. Something, just not money. How it is received speaks volumes as to how the organization is run and maintained. If nothing else, I try to give some of my time. Again- how it is received is a big sign of how those in charge are handling things.

the ones that really chap my britches are those that send a nickel in their mailout - saying something about 'just a nickel a day' blah blah blah. any charity that spends REAL money (in addition to all the printing costs, etc.) will not get a dime of mine.

Hey, how does one get on the benefit list of "feed an old person?" Think I qualify. Seriously, Sarah could ruin my day. She breaks my heart and I have to leave the room. My local dog shelters get my surplus dollars.

we saw bunches of this first hand in '11 after the floods. the area was teeming with beggars looking to cover their admin costs. usually a lot better to go straight to the organizations 'on the ground'.

I can't watch those Sarah commercials. I turn the channel. When I worked for the state unemployment office, we got a list of charities every year showing the percentage of administrative costs. That way we could make informed decisions for our charity payroll deductions. The highest I remember seeing was 85%. Can't remember which one, but I know I didn't donate to it!

I don't know about late night beggers on tv because I don't stay up that late anymore...but you know what gets me is the check out at the grocery store. I can't even buy milk without the checker asking me, "Would you like to donate a dollar to the _______ fund today?" as she/he finishes ringing up my groceries. Gah, leave my wallet alone, already. And I HATE saying "NO" because there's people all around me, and I feel like the the whole dang store goes quiet right at that moment, waiting to hear if I'll give up a simple dollar to charity. So what I say instead of NO is "Not today" -- see, by saying NOT TODAY it is implying that on other days I DO give a dollar. Of course as soon as I dodge that bullet at the check-out, I'm hit up by the Girl Scouts at the exit, just waiting to see me some cookies so that they can earn a trip to the zoo or some other place. It never ends.

@Katrina, we ask because we're told to by management, there are actually competitions between stores to see who can raise the most. I only ever asked if the supervisor was working right next to me, because I don't like being asked either, so I know how the customers feel.

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About Me

I am 70 years old, I have 4 children 45,42,40 and 18;and 5 grandchildren 13-6
. Divorced twice, married three times. I worked on Wall Street for 40 years after graduating from Lafayette College in 1968. I have turned to writing as since retirement I needed something to tell people "What the F*** I do." Published one book "Maybe It's Just Me!" available at Amazon, soon to release my second, "I Used To Be Stupid."
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